Penny J. Coleman, Of Counsel / Send Email

Penny Coleman opened Coleman Indian Law and affiliated with Anderson Indian Law following a federal government career in Indian law. Serving as the chief counsel for many of her 16 years at the National Indian Gaming Commission, her litigation, legislation and management experience in gaming is extensive. As lead counsel, she reviewed hundreds of contracts and developed ground breaking analysis on managing without an approved management contract and IGRA's sole proprietary interest requirement which resulted in millions of savings for tribes. She oversaw the development of the Commission's draft model gaming ordinance, its enforcement manual and compliance checklists, the first NEPA manual, the first internal Commission manual, all of the Commission's Indian lands opinions, the Commission's regulations and an Indian lands data base. She testified before Congress and wrote and reviewed Commissioner's testimony and draft legislation.

Ms Coleman also served within the Office of the Solicitor within the Department of the Interior where she directly advised the Secretary, the Counselor to the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs and the Solicitor on Indian gaming matters. She developed new gaming policies and legal theories, reviewed tribal-state gaming compacts, gaming-related contracts, Indian lands issues and environmental documents, mediated disagreements, prepared briefing papers for the President, and wrote testimony for DOI officials.

In addition to gaming, Ms Coleman advised DOI leaders on tribal government, Alaska Native and general Indian law matters. They included federal acknowledgment, Indian Self-Determination Act, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Child protection, subsistence rights, education, social services and tribal government leadership disputes. She represented Alaska Native interests in the Exxon Valdez litigation and directed a Child Protection task force that completely changed the BIA's response to child abuse.

Ms Coleman is a graduate of the University of South Dakota Law School and a member of the Virginia and South Dakota bar associations.

Coleman Indian Law (http://www.ColemanIndianLaw.com)
4601 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 1200, Arlington, VA 22203
(703)763-5483 (O) (240)330-3697 (C)
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